All the Right Moves
by Authoress24
Summary: He'd be the King of Hearts. She was the Queen of Spades. But the Knight would fight, for he was one of her soldiers. Or maybe they were all simply sinking in an ocean of faces. {Co-written by xxKidxx}
1. The Jackass of a King

_Disclaimer: I own not a thing, not a thing._

_**Chapter One**_

* * *

She wasn't particularly beautiful.

But she _damn _well wasn't ugly either.

Maybe it was the blank and bored expression over her face.

Well – she did hate these kinds of events. And she would've gave anything to be anywhere, but this ridiculous masquerade ball. They were too crowded and too noisy. She'd _definitely_ rather be curled up with her favorite book.

The palace was beautiful. She was simply awed speechless at its empty, intimidating beauty. Her lips parted for a bitter smile.

She stationed herself at a table in the far corner of the room. The darkness did little to shadow her enchanting beauty.

The pinkette had declined every offer to dance. Politely? Definitely not so, but she didn't quite care. However, when that hurt expression washed over their ever so optimistic faces, she did feel her heart drop – just a tiny bit though.

When her blonde companion swayed over, she scoffed. Well – she smiled joyfully at the girl herself, but her lips pulled down immediately, intensely, and deeply at her words.

"Sasuke-samma's here!" Ino squealed. "He's finally here!"

True to the blonde's word, the heir to the throne had arrived. His dramatic and extravagant entrance caused many girl to drop to their knees, squeal themselves soundless, or simply pass out. Albeit the normal fan girl reaction, Sakura's scowl deepened. She was _no_ fan girl. _Not_ for him.

_Never_ for _him_.

His phenomenally good looks only made the green-eyed beauty dislike the king in waiting more.

The squealing Ino turned to Sakura. The blonde's over-zealous gushing irritated the pinkette beyond any source of human comprehension.

"What do you think of Sasuke-samma?" All the squealing ad commotion was pissing her off - to the extreme.

However so, with pursed lips, Sakura turned to Ino. She crossed her legs, as well as her arms. She tilted her head in a curious and cocky manner. But gave the blonde an _ever _so pretty, but _ever _so sarcastic smile.

"He's an asshole – I mean…"

Sarcasm drowned her tone into the after death.

"Great guy."

Ino glares at the pink-haired beauty.

The blonde scrunched up her nose and stomped away. Sakura laughed at the girl's movie styled exit.

Throughout the hours, numerous men have asked for her hand in a dance. But of course, she declined every offer, and explained with one of her prepared and false reasons. In truth, she simply didn't want to. But she knew that the men here would not take that as a reasonable excuse. She just simply preferred to watch as many girls asked the young and handsome Prince Sasuke for a dance – well they attempted to.

He was comfortable in her little, dark corner. After all, she was more analytical than social. Everyone and anyone could've seen that. She had always been.

"Excuse me, if I am not quite accurate in memorizing your name."

But that didn't stop them.

The deep and smooth voice coaxed Sakura to look up.

The green-eyed beauty raised a perfectly groomed, pink brow. Her tone matched that one of her expression. Expectant.

"What makes you think that you will even learn the first letter of my name?"

Her counter made him recoil a bit. But he regained his composure and tried again. But Prince Sasuke had no words to say. Instead he came from a different approach and ignored her counter-attack.

"Would you do me, Prince Sasuke – prince of and heir to the Uchiha Kingdom, the greatest honor of all, and dance with me madam?" She hated the way he pronounced that word. She insisted people pronounce it as "madame" with a long _a_ rather than "madam" with a short _a_. It was… prettier.

The rehearsed line sounded so natural and so like honey off his lips, but it didn't fool her.

Sakura scoffed again.

He bowed, his arm extended out to her. His palm opened expectantly. The girl simply raised a brow at him and scowled. She crossed her arms and tilted her head up defiantly.

"I'd rather dance with Choji-kun."

Everything and everyone stopped.

They all stared at the two.

"Excuse me?"

Sakura nodded and waved him off.

"You're excused."

Sasuke inhaled, his temper was flaring.

Sakura noticed it. But it wasn't like she gave a shit about him or his temper.

"Dance with me." he demanded.

She would not.

"_Dance with me_." He urged.

She refused to dance with the Devil.

Her favorite song began to play.

_"Oh. Oh. Ohh..."_

She set her hand in Sasuke's.

_We'll have to switch partners anyways._

And thus, he pulled her unto the dance floor.


	2. The Masked Knight

_Disclaimer: I own not a thing, not a thing._

_**Chapter Two**_

* * *

She couldn't focus –

At all - well at least – not on the King of Douche Bags, Sasuke.

When those blue gems caught her green emeralds, their intensity trapped her. She had gotten lost in a sea of blue. She knew they had depth. They had to have depth.

For she was drowning in it.

And the water was so, very cold, in this suffocating and hot room.

No – it was just her. The room was quite cool.

She could not look elsewhere. Those eyes were dangerous and hypnotic. Sasuke twirled her under his arm; she stopped palm against palm with another.

Still, even though her partner was quite handsome, she continued to ignore everything else around her. Sakura was desperate. She just simply had to get to the Boy with the Blue. She had never been desperate before. She almost brushed her fluttering heart off as adrenaline. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. She couldn't identify this… emotion. She couldn't identify this… feeling. This… whatever the hell it was.

She had never felt this way before.

She was free once more. Lady Haruno swayed into a line with all the other dancing, young women. Giving space between her chest and her arms, the limbs crossed diagonally, her left hand clasped unto her right. Sakura tilted her hands in different directions. The left went up; the right went down. The pinkette's fingers stretched and flexed, her finger tips twisting.

"_Let's paint the picture of a perfect place. They've got it better than what anyone's told ya'."_

When warm, strong, defined, toned, and muscled arms wrapped securely around her from behind, Sakura thought she was imagining things.

She found she was not.

And she was glowing crimson.

"_There be the King of Hearts_."

His lips vibrated tantalizingly across and against her neck. She immediately glanced at Sasuke.

"_And you're the Queen of Spades_." The girl slowly dropped her gaze to the floors, her head following the direction.

"_And we'll fight for you like we are your soldiers_."

He twirled her around. Their hands intertwined. The two pushed apart, the stranger – she'd decided to call him "Boy with the Blue" or maybe "Boy Blue" for now. – tugged her into his chest once more.

Both of their bodies slurred and grinded against each other. They slid and slipped into and out of each-others bodies, and demanded their partner's very best.

"_Do you think I'm special? Do you think I'm nice?" _Boy Blue's arms wrapped around Sakura's lower thighs as she sang. "_Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces_?" The stranger threw her over his shoulder; she flipped forward. His arms swung over her ducked head. From then on out, they began their capoeira.

She straightened up, and swung slowly. He caught her fist, and twisted her into a montage of perfect cartwheels.

* * *

"What're they doing?!" an enraged Prince Sasuke growled.

"Dancing." The raven's eyes snapped towards his older brother.

"Itachi…" warning and promise filled his tone.

"Well… They _are_." The older one "clarified".

Sasuke glowered at his older brother, then his supposed "future wife", and then her dancing partner.

* * *

After a few times, Sakura began to cartwheel on her own. When she purposely staggered back, Boy Blue caught her. The man collected her in his arms. AS she stared into the pool of blue surrounded by a gold and red half-mask, she silently wished to see all of his face.

She'd bet her _heart_ he was handsome – even more so than Sasuke.

The pink-haired beauty shook her head playfully, a disbelieving gleam in her eyes.

"_It can't be possible_!"

Boy Blue smirked, amusement shining in his own orbs. "_The rain can fall_," Their voices blended, creating a euphoric, hypnotic, enticing, enchanting, and pure symphony.

"_Only when it's over our heads_."

He took her arms and slowly pushed it up, then back. Her wrist slowly went bended then flexed. He just as slowly leaned forward and nuzzles her, whilst bringing her arm down.

Sakura rolled her head and craned her neck a bit to give Boy Blue more space. She inhaled sharply; the pinkette was rewarded with the strong, sweet, and addictive smell of the blonde's hair.

"_Strawberries…_" she sighed dreamily; her heart melting.

The pink-haired beauty's eyes fluttered open slowly.

Boy Blue intertwined his fingers with hers. The blonde twirled the pinkette once more, before letting her fall backward. In a jerky movement, he grabbed her thigh and brought it up to his hip. All the while, his other hand landed on her lower back.

Her hair dangled over the floor; her head fell as well. Sakura caught glimpse of the enraged prince. The green-eyed, pink-haired beauty noticed that she and Blue Boy – she liked that a bit better – had stolen the entire dance floor. Other couples were off to the side line simply watching in envy and enchantment.

Blue Boy brought her unto her feet. The blonde cleared his throat as her straightened his blazer. Sakura smoothed over her dress.

They took a glance at the other before going their separate ways. On her way back, she heard a soft and gruff grunt, "Lady Haruno." She nodded softly, and continued on. Sakura headed back to her corner; he headed back to his… _lady_… acquaintance. She met the ebony-haired female's gaze. The raven stuck her nose up into the air and turned away with a small, "_Hmph_!" Sakura's glance of adoration became a glare of rebellion. The girl herself was beautiful. Her attitude towards Sakura however…

The pinkette scowled and plumped down, arms and legs crossed.

Sakura couldn't wait for this to be all over.

Blue Boy flashed her a lopsided grin.

_Okay…_

Sakura Haruno blushed.

_Maybe she could wait a _tiny_ bit longer._


	3. The Aftermath

_Disclaimer: I own not a thing, not a thing._

_**Chapter Three**_

* * *

"Well, aren't_ you_ just the talk of the kingdoms."

The pink haired girl - _woman_, is what she demanded her gender title would be - looked up at the voice in front of her, her face was met with a pair of fairly large breasts. The proximity of the chest startled her for a moment but the pinkette, as she always did, quickly regained her composure and pushed her chair slightly backwards, giving her some space to inspect the owner of the snarky, envy-dripping comment.

Sakura rolled her eyes as her blond best friend leaned forward on the other side of the desk. Sakura raised her hands and gave a "shoo, shoo" gesture, notifying her best friend that she needed some space.

Ino stood straight up with a glare. The blond snorted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Not only did you cause Prince Sasuke Uchiha-samma a _thousand_ live's worth of embarrassment, but _then_ you go and dance with Prince Naruto Uzumaki-samma! _The_ Prince Naruto Uzumaki-samma of the Namikaze Kingdom! Sasuke Uchiha-samma's_ rival_!"

Sakura smirked, pleased to hear that she inflicted some sort of turmoil unto the raven-haired Demon King. She despised him - no.

Sakura Haruno was positively sure she hated Sasuke Uchiha with a furiously burning passion.

She loathed the way he carried himself as if he was better than everyone around him. She despised the smug smirk that hung slantedly on his stupidly handsome features all the time. She couldn't stand the way he just expected girls to fawn over him, just love everything about him. It was as if he expected every woman he simply looked at to just fall into his arms and beg, "Oh _please_ bed me, Uchiha-samma! Please! I can stand it no longer!"

Most of all, she hated that all of these things made Sasuke Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha.

Because Sasuke Uchiha thought himself to be a _god_.

He irked her to the ends of the galaxy. She outright refused to be subjected into his ridiculous, but lethally dangerous, Game of Love. She would not be captured as some sort of whore for him to toy and play with. Even if she _was_ a woman, she had pride.

And because of that pride, she'd be damned if she simply allowed him to add her to his whore-collection.

"... He's gorgeous! That blond hair! Those ocean deep blue eyes!-"

"Wait," Sakura interrupted her friend as she zoned back in, "You're talking about Blue Boy."

"Yes, forehead!" Ino huffed. "You danced with him last night!"

"What was his name again?" Sakura asked with a quirked brow.

"He's Prince Naruto Uzumaki of the Namikaze kingdom. Y'know, heir to throne? How did you not recognize him?!"

To be completely honest, Lady Sakura did not recall ever hearing about Prince Naruto at all-

Well.

That, in itself, was a lie.

Sakura had heard Ino blabber and gossip and worship over the man for years at a time. But she: Lady Sakura Haruno herself, did not know much about Blue Boy. All she knew about him was that he had her memorized. Prince Naruto had managed to tame the untamable fire. He had managed to subdue her into an ocean of love and lust. He had managed to attain the unattainable and precious artifact that was Sakura Haruno.

And he didn't even know her.

"Are you even listening, forehead?!"

Sakura gave the fuming blond a devilish smirk. "_Gomenasai_, Ino_-chan_," the pinkette apologized, "I was too busy thinking about more significant matters, pig..." She paused. "Do you know where he is now?"

Ino knew people who knew people. If anyone would know where the Uzumaki Prince would reside within the Uchiha Kingdom, it would undoubtedly be her.

"I've have no clue, Sakura_-chan_," And Sakura deflated immediately. "Most of the royal families are staying in the kingdom for another day or two. No one leaves right after the ball."

The pink haired woman rolled her eyes at the blond. As if she would know all of this useless information. Everyone knew she was one for the books. Not one for the gossip.

Fortunately, things seemed in the pinkette's favor. She was sure Ino knew someone who had access to her Blue Boy.

"Lady Sakura?" A voice called from the doorway of the study room. "Your father wishes to see you."

Sakura looked up at the woman standing near the door and nodded. "I'll be right there."

The lady nodded and left without another word, leaving the best friends alone once again.

"Well, I have to go tend to my father," Sakura told the expectant Ino as they both stood - Sakura from her chair and Ino from the table - from where their behinds recently resided. "And you know where the exit is. I'll talk to you more about this later."

"You better! I'm so jealous! I mean, of all people, _you actually_ got to dance with him! And the whole thing was just so..." Ino swooned, her backhand gently easing over her forehead. "So... _sexy_!"

When Sakura flipped her hair over shoulder as if to say, "Thank you!", Ino obnoxiously shouted, "Not your part!" And then, Sakura just could not help the even ruder hand gesture she made towards her blonde best friend. She quickly began to exit her study with the blond hot and steaming in pursuit.

Sakura would never admit it but, dancing with Blue Boy had given her this... this inexplicable rush of excitement and passion. She'd be damned if she told anyone Prince Naruto Uzumaki-samma had her, Lady Sakura Haruno, Heiress to the Haruno Wealth and Fortune, hanging by the red threads.

* * *

"You will be attending a formal dinner at the Royal family's house tonight, and Prince Sasuke, himself, will personally be escorting you to his family's palace."

Those were the first words that had flown out of Kizashi, Head of the Haruno Clan, and Sakura's father's, mouth as soon as she stepped within his office. She couldn't help the stirring of rage that surfaced with her bosom and stomach. There was multiple reasons as to why though the statement deeply sickened her:

One, she despised formal dinners as much as she hated balls and dances.

Two, she loathed absolutely loathed Prince Sasuke.

Three, if reason one, and reason two were combined, Lady Sakura just might've thrown up on, not only her dress, but Prince Sasuke as well.

And four, she absolutely hated when her father tried to pick out every single detail of her life without at least asking for her consent and approval of his choices.

"I suppose, as always, that there's no room for discussion?"

The pink haired man, Kizashi, let out an audible sigh. He could practically taste the menacing aura radiating from his daughter.

"Please, Sakura, your mother and I are only trying to do what is best for you. Your mother went through a lot of troubles in order to get you Prince Sasuke as a date."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't even wish to go to this dinner?" Sakura retorted, her voice laced with venom. "You both know how much I hate these things; why can't you let me make my own decisions already!? Am I not of age?"

"Sakura, please, that's enough now. You do not understand what we are doing for you but eventually you will thank us for it." Kizashi's blue eyes softened for a moment, feeling sad that his daughter was too blind to see that he was aiding her future. Not tearing it down.

Sakura knew what her parents were planning. She knew it was not to better her or her future.

Her parents were planning to marry her off into royalty.

They were already a wealthy family. But apparently, that wasn't enough for them - Kizashi and Mebuki.

They wanted royalty: kings and queens, balls and money, respect and fear. And they knew the only way to get that, was marrying off their daughter.

So they made that sacrifice.

And when Prince Sasuke came strolling around, they saw it as the perfect moment to attack.

Sakura, being her mother's daughter, could not stand when people attempted to take away her independence. She always knew she was strong enough to handle her own. And she wanted no one to intervene with that.

Not even Prince Naruto Uzumaki-samma.

(But he already had her hanging by the small red threads.)

"Sakura," her father said, jostling her out of her thoughts, "Please do not make a scene and embarrass your mother and I tonight. I beg of you. We only want what's best for you-"

"That's a lie." Sakura spat angrily. "You only want what's best for yourselves."

"Sakura-"

"I'll go to your stupid little dinner, okay?" Sakura said as she turned on her heel and furiously proceeded to stomp out of her father's office, a hell fire in her eyes.

Sure, she would go to the dinner with Prince Sasuke as her parents wished for, but what happened after would not make them happy.

Oh dear them, not at all

* * *

Surprise! Thanks to the reviews of encouragement, and my collaborator, xxKidxx, it's finally up!


	4. The Day Before the Night

Disclaimer: I own not a thing, not a thing - besides the plot.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Later that day, Sakura returned to her library and called upon Ino.

They'd been up to their neck in papers. From billions of novels – on Sakura's part – and tons of gossip magazines – on Ino's part – to two lot fulls of world maps.

The two had been searching for Prince Naruto since… Who knows when they'd started?

All they could really figure out was that – according to Sakura's map skills, gossip magazines' timelines, and Ino's gossiping skills – the handsome prince was still in the Uchiha Kingdom – for now, at least. He would be shipped back to the Uzumaki Kingdom, under instruction of his father, The King of Uzumaki Kingdom: Minato Namikaze, in a few days.

* * *

_"King Minato has just announced that he'd be putting his kingdom name under Queen Kushina's," Ino squealed to Sakura one night. Sakura smiled softly. "That's sweet." The blonde nodded vigorously._

_"You'd never expect that from a king," Sakura half mused, impressed. "Most of them are dirty old men who use women and war as they please."_

_Ino rolled her eyes, "Aren't you the pessimist."_

_Sakura snorted. "Somebody needs to keep their feet on the ground and their head out of the clouds, don't they?" Ino sighed and tugged Sakura up._

_"Fantasy is like love: it's a part of life."_

_Sakura snorted once more, "Fantasy is insanity."_

_And Ino smiles, but it's this far away smile. Like one you'd have to fly 100,000,000 years into the future to get to. "Sometimes insanity is what makes people sane."_

_That alone, was enough to make Sakura shut up._

* * *

It wasn't much time, definitely not. But this was Sakura Haruno they were dealing with. The Sakura Haruno – Heiress of the Haruno Fortune. The epitome of a Lady of Nobility – from outside in, at least.

Madame Sakura Haruno had always been a knight – a warrior – at heart.

So she was pretty sure she could deal.

Ino was also positive they'd find Prince Naruto. And they'd find him before he was shipped back off to his own kingdom.

The rustling of papers quickly drew Sakura's attention. Her head snapped in the direction of Ino. Unfortunately, the pink-haired madame was only met with a tall stack of falling papers.

For a split second, when she caught sight of the blonde idiot, Sakura's eyes were met with the concerned, yet guilty eyes of her best friend, Ino Yamanaka. And then the papers drowned her in complete darkness. Because Sakura could not see Ino, she glared fiercely at the papers.

And she just sat there.

Ahem, Sakura cleared her throat.

"Are you gonna help me out, Pig?!" The pinkette snapped. And all she got in turn from Ino was:

"Naaah. I'm good."

The pinkette shot through the papers. With clenched fists and a set jaw, she growled, "Ino…" Warning of unspeakable, horrendous, terrifying, and vile things dripped off of her tongue and drenched her words. Her aura held so much fire and passion, Ino was pretty sure she saw the papers flying about burn to crisps. Maybe she was imagining it?

The blonde held out a hand for the pinkette.

_Too late now!_ Sakura thought, seething in fury.

Regardless, the Haruno heiress took hold of the Yamanaka heiress' hand. Only when Sakura's hold on Ino's hand was in her complete control, the pinkette plunged Ino into the pile of have fallen papers. Sakura smirked, crossed her arms, and then fully stepped out of the papers – without crushing or stepping on any of them.

From underneath the pile, a muffled, annoyed, and mildly man like, – in Sakura's opinion – but completely feminine, voice hummed and echoed among the walls of Sakura's library.

"A little _help_, Forehead."

The pinkette took her seat, propped her right elbow on her desk and supported her head weight with it. She drummed her fingers against her cheek; a bored expression lounged across her pretty features. She then switched positions. This time, her left elbow propped, but her fingers stiff as stone.

Her other five fingers – the one's belonging to her right hand – drummed against the hardback front cover of her current novel: The Fault in Our Stars. She believed the author's name was "John Mean" or something among those lines…

"Nah," Sakura said, repeating her best friend and scrunching her nose like a cat, along with her cheshire smile. "I'm goo – dammit!"

Sakura cringed as her middle finger slid along the rims of a page a tiny bit too harshly. She sucked on the finger, desperate to stop the bleeding herself.

But before she knew it, Ino and a few other maids were hovering over her.

Once a band aid had been wrapped around the slightly wounded finger, Ino and everyone else was put to ease. The blonde rolled her eyes.

"_God_, Forehead, you scared the crap outta' me!"

Sakura laughed, "I'm _so_ glad you care, Pig."

Ino smirked, observing her nails."_Of course_, Forehead!" Her blue eyes turned playful. "Who _else_ would I be able to brag about being friends with?"

The pink-haired heiress simply shook her head with the hint of a smile.

"Whatever, Pig."

* * *

Those evil witches caked her in make-up.

Sakura looked good, yes – gorgeous, even. But that didn't mean she actually liked it. And she was looking like a goddess - in the other's opinions - for the wrong person!

Sakura groaned inwardly as Lady Ten Ten, Lady Temari, Lady Shizune, Lady Tsunade, and yes, Lady Ino powdered, brushed, and designed.

"I don't want Prince Sasuke to think I'm trying to look good for him." The heiress complained to Ino and the rest. The only response she got was the roll of their eyes. "Well, I don't!" This time, they nodded.

"He's an asshole! And vain! I don't think I've ever met a more physically attractive person – besides Prince Naruto – who was more acutely aware of his own physical attractiveness."

Ten Ten smirked, "So… You're saying they're attractive?"

Sakura nodded, "Yes. I am, Lady Ten Ten. But," the pink haired heiress held up an index finger, "Sasuke is vain and also, an asshole. Naruto, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be vain, and is definitely not an asshole. "

And everyone but the pink-haired maiden rolled their eyes again.

After a few hours of dressing, undressing, redressing, adding makeup, wiping it off, and then re-adding it, Sakura had begun to lose her patience.

_For God's sake people, I'm not a canvas!_

But because the ladies – her friends – looked so happy, and so relaxed, and so at ease, and so young, she decided to just leave them be.

When they were done, Sakura must've thanked them a hundred times. They'd made her look beautiful. They'd manage to capture the essence of the cold, eerie, and deadly demeanor she gave off to most while attending social events. But they re-enforced it in a way that made her hauntingly beautiful. She thought in the least, she looked approachable.

More often than not, her aura gave off she wasn't.

As Heiress Sakura Haruno walked down the halls to meet with her "date", the men within the house could not keep their eyes off of her. Some were left with mouths wide open. And with each step she took, she grew more and more into herself. The confident, dangerous huntress that could slice someone's neck with a pencil if she wanted to. The girl with the bow and arrow.

Her beauty was outright _lethal_.

It matched her personality quite well.


	5. Is this Not a Surprise?

_**Chapter Five**_

He was beginning to grow impatient.

Prince Sasuke was not someone who should be kept waiting. He was absolutely not pleasant when waiting for long periods of time. He wasn't pleasant waiting for short amounts of time, either.

In fact, Prince Sasuke wasn't pleasant at all.

He was the embodiment of all things vain and arrogant. However, he embraced and relished in these traits like it was the greatest and highest honor bestowed upon any living - and nonliving - thing.

"Where is she?" He snaps at one of the servants standing nearby.

"She -"

"Go fetch her." Sasuke said sharply, leaving absolutely no room for argument or discussion.

The young male servant rushed away quickly, going to alert his mistress of the waiting prince.

Whilst, the awaiting Sasuke ran his hand through his hair. Albeit, it seemed to have very little affect; it remained as if nothing had touched it. He let out a frustrated grunt and glanced at the elegant, pure gold watch on his wrist. He clung to each and every second that ticked by furiously. Not before long, and to the impatient prince's dismay, seconds slid into minutes.

He had been waiting for quite some time now, and to keep a prince waiting was never any good - especially since he, himself, was the waiting prince. Prince Sasuke was heir to the Uchiha Kingdom, one of the largest and most prominent kingdoms throughout the lands. He had people waiting on him left and right - _not_ the other way around.

He would not dare to admit it aloud, but Prince Sasuke found the pink-haired girl's reluctance was charming, amusing, and to some extent, even cute. She was wild, unpredictable, and she had him hooked, hanging by the thin, red threads.

She reminded him of himself in a way, and there was no girl better for the Uchiha Prince than that - someone that could keep him on his toes, relentlessly keep his head spinning.

"Prince Sasuke."

The raven-haired male glanced upwards and found the pinkette he was waiting for standing there before him. She was beautiful - he had to admit that. His eyes even widened at the sight, a swift and soft, barely-there blush coated his normally porcelain cheeks.

Albeit, her beauty being somewhat intimidating, Prince Sasuke felt proud of himself for acquiring such a maiden. Despite his inner feelings, he regained his composure and his exterior returned to the same typical, arrogant, cold, and princely manner.

"What took you so long?" He huffed in frustration, rather than express his appreciation for her beauty. "You kept me waiting."

"Why, _hello_ to you too, Prince Sasuke." Sakura said flashing the top rack of her pearly whites in a clearly fake, but cheeky smile. "You seem like you're going to be an _absolute bundle of joy_ tonight."

A few gasps were heard from the women - Lady Sakura's "entourage" - standing behind the pink-haired woman. Ino nudged the pinkette for her rudeness - hard. The pinkette, having taken on tougher and far worse, only rolled her eyes at her best friend, and the other women among her and the prince. They all stared at the Prince of Assholes with nervous smiles, some of the... rather suggestive women flashed a sultry smile, accompanied by a wink, his way. She could already feel the embarrassment radiating off of them. Oh dear gods, she was going to get an earful when she came back.

"Please excuse her Prince Sasuke-samma," Lady Tenten said pleasantly, bowing respectively and apologetically to the raven-haired man. "Lady Haruno-san is only a tad bit upset because it took so long to get her ready - which we all apologize greatly for."

Sakura had to keep herself from snorting.

"Yes! It was all our fault! We are very, very sorry, Prince Sasuke-samma."

The Haruno Heiress could barely hold back her lunch as she listened to Tenten and the others begin to apologize profusely to the prince. She would never understand why they viewed the male as some higher being, always acting so careful and tentative around him. To her, Prince Sasuke was nothing more than a pretentious, arrogant, condescending asshole. And because of that, she found it extremely diffucult to acknowledge him as an equal - let alone someone above her.

Despite his good looks, Prince Sasuke disgusted Sakura thoroughly and she could only pray to Kami that she could manage to get through one full night in his presence - she could barely keep around him for little less than a few minutes.

"Oh, Prince Sasuke! I'm so glad to see you here! I am so, terribly grateful that you asked my daughter - of all people - to accommodate you tonight to your father's dinner."

Sakura heard her mother's voice before she actually saw the woman. Instantly a horribly high wave of nausea drenched her from head to toe.

It was bad enough the her companions idolized the prince, but having her mother so hell-bent on the idea of marrying into royalty disgusted her beyond the most intelligent being's comprehension. What they did went against everything the pink-haired woman believed in. The fawning... the worshiping... The groveling... It all made her sick to her stomach.

Sick enough that she almost threw up all over herself and those around her.

Sick enough to repeat that almost-action several times.

Yes.

That sick.

The Uchiha prince gave the woman a pleasant smile and nodded slightly. "Oh, no! There is no problem, Mistress Haruno. It is my complete pleasure to take Lady Sakura out."

"Bullshit." The pinkette swore under her breath, earning another hard nudge and vicious glare from Ino - who was standing directly to the heiress' left.

Sakura fiercly glared back at the blonde, not backing down. It didn't matter what other people thought Sakura knew that what she was thinking was true. What the oink-haired beauty was hearing was nothing but a bunch of lies and empty words. A bunch of lies, plus empty words, to Sakura, equaled seven loads of bullshit.

Sakura knew her mother's true motives better than anyone else - even her father. Mebuki wasn't happy with the simple fact that her daughter was going to attend to a ball with a prince - oh Kami no. The elder Haruno was happy because Sakura's date with Prince Sasuke could potentially lead to more dates. Which would lead to courtship. Which would eventually lead to marriage.

Since Sakura could remember, the woman only viewed her daughter as a tool. A way to elevate her social standing in the kingdoms. Yes, of course, it was nice to be wealthy, and respected. However, Mebuki wanted something more. While being wealthy and highly respected was amazing on it's own terms, to be apart of royalty - with excellent, fair kings tamed by beautiful and reasoning queens - was within it's own league. A totally, completely different level.

That level was damn near godly.

That "godly" level was what Sakura's mother craved desperately and viciously to reach.

The elder Haruno woman used Sakura for her own personal gain and if not for her father, the pinkette would have gladly rejected any plans that involved the Prince of Arrogant Assholes.

"Oh, _look_ at my little girl!" Sakura's father bellowed with a blinding smile, and glowing with pride. "You are so beautiful!"

Even though she was angry with him for forcing her to go, Sakura's steely expression and titanium resolve couldn't help but melt just a little.

Allowing a little leniency, Sakura smiles at her father's authentic enthusiasm. Unlike her mother, Mebuki, Sakura's father, Kizashi, had his moments where he actually cared for, and showed compassion towards his daughter. Even though he frustrated her to no end with the whole controlling her life thing, she could not be entirely mad at him. She was actually, and legitimately his daughter. Not his scheme, or his marionette.

He made his way over with long, elegant strides and stood in front of his daughter to get a better look at her face, which was daunting a few sweeps of black eye liner, a few gentle brushes of light pink blush, and cherry red lipstick painted over her naturally pink and plump lips. "Oh, Honey, you look amazing..."

"Thank you, Father." She said softly with a smile on her face. "I don't look too miserable?"

The elder Haruno let out a heartfelt laugh and shook his head. "You look beautiful, my daughter - scary, yes, but absolutely beautiful. It's actually quite fitting for you! Won't you agree, Prince Sasuke?"

The black-haired male nodded respectively towards the elder. "Simply, and utterly beautiful." He answered as he turned towards said beauty and gave her one of his rarely seen - and utterly fake, to those with godly analytical skills - charming smiles. Lady Sakura had caught the way that smile of his hadn't reached his eyes. Albeit the seemingly false smile, the prince had meant what he said. To the last pronunciation of the last letter. "But, I do believe that we must be on our way now."

"Yes, of course! I suppose you two are already late, knowing how long my daughter takes to get ready -"

"Father," Sakura interrupted, her voice hinted with slight agitation.

"Alright, alright." Lord Haruno laughs, hearing his daughter's annoyance. "You two go have fun!"

The young prince gave the elderly couple a soft, sincere smile, followed by a bow of respect, and then proceeded to lead their daughter out of their large estate. Sakura smiled and gave a slight wave to the group of people sending them off as she allowed Prince Sasuke to escort her out. They walked out of her home where a chariot sat awaiting them, the horses stamping in place impatiently.

The charioteer stood at the entrance, and when Prince Sasuke and Lady Sakura were close enough, he politely dawned open the door for them. Sasuke gave the man a nod, and for some reason it irked the pinkette.

What was so hard to mutter a simple thank you? It got under her skin that he felt he was too great to show simple gratitude for those that worked for him. It was little things like that fueled the raging fire of her distaste for him.

She got in without a word and for most of their ride they were awkwardly silent. The prince attempted to make small conversation with the woman, but she would politely answer one of his many, and slightly irritating, questions with one word response.

For example:

Prince Sasuke: "You look beautiful tonight."

Lady Sakura: "Aa." He didn't deserve a 'thank you'.

Prince Sasuke: "You smell wonderful... What kind of perfume do you use?"

Lady Sakura. "Mm." It was her natural scent. Not an artificial scent-sweetener.

Prince Sasuke: "Y'know, Lady Sakura," He scoots towards her. "You look absolutely ravishing, tonight." Just how many times was he going to say that? And what the hell was that suggestive tone behind that suggestive sentence?! Keeping her cool, she turns to him with dead eyes, a small frown, and responds:

Lady Sakura: "... Aa."

* * *

After what felt like the longest fifteen minutes of her life, the pinkette and her accompanying, forced along, extra baggage finally arrived at the dinner. Once they came to a stop, the charioteer once again opened their doors to let them out, and Sasuke helped the woman out of the chariot, slipping his hand into hers.

Much to Sasuke's displeasure, Sakura turned towards the charioteer with bowed. Her head dipped, and her fingertips tugged her dress up appropriately. "Thank you." With a blush, and a shy, "You're welcome, beautiful lady," the charioteer bows back.

Now, Sakura despised these kinds of events - almost as much as she despised Prince Sasuke - but she could not help but to admit how magnificent the prince's estate was- inside and out. He had told her before that instead of using the grand palace's ball room, his family had decided to use this one.

The Prince of All Arrogant Assholes owned an estate that had been in his bloodline for eons, thus, it held this old, yet elegant shine. The surrounding land, however, was entirely remade and decorated beautifully. Every inch taken into deep consideration, and the layout of it all was astounding. The garden, the large rectangular shaped, 8 feet deep figure that contained gallons upon gallons of water, the pure marble columns that were wrapped in blue and black lights. Not to mention the other various aspects that all fit together perfectly, without looking too crowded.

The interior was decorated in a more modern fashion, with more traditional aspects here and there, and it caused the pinkette to stare in awe as the prince escorted her throughout his estate to the ball room.

Lady Sakura and Prince Sasuke entered the large room with their arms intertwined, and immediately the room fell silent, all eyes laid upon them.

Sakura hated all the attention but she kept her head raised, and followed Prince Sasuke's lead as they took their seats without even acknowledging the others that were already seated. If this was what it was like walking into a room, arm in arm with Prince Sasuke Uchiha, maintaining all the attention, but acting as if everyone was below you, then Sakura decided she partly loved and partly hated walking into a room arm in arm with Prince Sasuke Uchiha.

"Are we late?" Sakura asked the prince, low enough for only him to hear.

"No, the dinner does not start unless I say it's begun. So really... We're right on time, m'lady." The prince responded, turning his head towards his pink-haired beauty.

Sakura could not help but roll her eyes in annoyance at the vain prince. She turned her head to look forward.

She thought she saw a mob of very familiar blonde hair, but some part of her doubted it, so her gaze continuously ricocheted off of anything and anyone. But that other part of her - the optimistic part of her - took a chance, and reluctantly her gaze returns back to that familiar mob of blonde hair.

It wasn't him. Dammit. She knew it too! Gods, she needed to stop being so optimistic -

"Hello, Prince Sasuke."

Prince Naruto, Boy Blue, was standing right there. Right infront of her. He had a hand extended for Sasuke, awaiting the hosting prince to shake it, and a gorgeous, _gorgeous_ smirk daunting on his oh so kissable lips. His eyes - the bed rock deep pools of blue - were glinted with mischief as Prince Sasuke shook his extended hand.

"Hello, Prince Naruto."

His deep pools of blue shifted from Prince Sasuke to the woman that clung tightly to his arm. Allowing his hand to slip away from Sasuke's, both of Prince Naruto's hands appeared, only for Sakura this time. Gently caressing her right hand, the blonde prince leaned down, and touched a kiss from his soft lips to the smooth, and also soft, back of Sakura's hand.

Lady Sakura Haruno almost melts on the spot.

"And who are you, m'lady?"

He knew damn very well who she was - she could tell by the way his lips tilted up in a slight smirk, however, she decided to play along. "Lady Sakura Haruno, my lord."

With a challenging, yet incredibly beautiful smile, she hits him back. "And who might you be?" She didn't mean for there to be as much fierceness as there was behind her question, but by the look of his darkening eyes and smug grin, she guessed he liked her feistiness.

"Prince Naruto Uzumaki, m'lady. But for a beautiful maiden such as yourself, you can call me whatever you want."

Sporting a blush, she once again hits him right back, "Then "Prince Naruto" will do just fine, I suppose."

Prince Naruto's grin slides into a smirk, Lady Sakura's smile slides into one as well.

The woman that claimed she was not a prize, had already been won - without much effort, too. She was smitten by someone she had only met once - twice, if one counted that night.

Lady Sakura Haruno was falling in love with Prince Naruto Uzumaki.

And she hated it - gods, did she hate it.

But she wouldn't do a damn thing about it, either.

But gods dammit, if Prince Naruto Uzumaki wanted to challenge her, she was going to hit back just as hard - knowing herself, probably harder.

Prince Sasuke may have thought he had a chance with her, the unattainable, but she was already stolen out of his grasp.

Sensing the tension, the slightly envious Heir of the Uchiha Kingdom, tugs the Haruno Heiress out of her intense eye battle with the Heir of the Uzumaki Kingdom. He pulls her to sit in her designated seat - which was next to the wrong prince, in her opinion. The woman obliged, and making sure not to ruin her dress, took her seat.

This was going to be a long night between the three of them.

But more likely than not, it was going to be deliciously fun.

* * *

_Sorry for the seriously late update! Me and le partner had a few real life situations. So things are going to be a bit slow for a while. _


	6. She Whom Would Become Queen

**_Chapter Six_**

They were simply stepping from side to side, a few twirls here and then. It was boring her to death - literally. She thought that if she didn't start actually dancing - and soon - she'd have a seizure.

This one-two-step-then-twirl-thingy was really starting to claw at her conscious. She was supposed to be twisting and turning, and sliding, and grinding - she was supposed to be the center of everyone's attention, her partner a close second, but here she was. Doing something that clumsy pre-teens did at their first school dance. Gods, was there anything about this guy that wasn't boring, or frustrating?

And then the song changed.

The piano started off strong, establishing an unspoken melody that was silently unanimous. It was one note, before another, and then they were blended.

Tightening her grip on Prince Sasuke's hand, she attempted to twirl herself into another's arms. Only this time, Prince Sasuke just wasn't having it. He let her twirl herself into oblivion, before catching her with one hand - his left. The man with incomprehensible talent lowered her into a deep dip, and then pushed her back up, a little too harsh. She free falls through the air, arms flying up to make it look rehearsed. She could rebound from a fall, and then get revenge -

Prince Sasuke gracefully caught her around the waist. That move had been_ calculated_. _Ooh_. He really could dance.

"_There is a house built out of stone..._"

She gripped his arm tight, before purposely remaining still. When the next note came, she swung her left leg up, and leaned against his strong arm. She twists so fast, the crowd can barely see it, and then her other leg is in the air too - Sasuke catches this one. She continues to hold the left leg up without fault. Then she slowly reeled it in. Their movements are slow, and fragile. Lady Sakura dipped her head back slowly, just so she can see who else is on the dance floor.

Blue Boy.

He was doing the same routine she and Sasuke were just seconds ago. His partner was the woman she'd scene at the most recent ball she was invited to.

_Oh_, what a _pity_.

He's staring at she and Sasuke with longing and envy - _aw_. Well, he wanted a game.

So he got one.

"_This is a place where I feel at home..._"

And then the music consumes the song.

Sasuke dropped her carefully, making sure she landed on her feet, and dips her once again. He does a repeat of the move preformed just minutes before, only this time Sakura is far more relaxed. She flew through the air again, toes dragging against the ground just barely, before she landed against Sasuke's back, arms draped over his shoulders. He reached behind himself, and grabbed onto Sakura's hip. He pulled her face him, and he was met with a face full of her pink locks. The back of her body flushed against the front of his. This time, their movements were jerky and fast, and they collided into each other. Only it isn't what she experienced from Naruto. No. It was... It was... Gentler. A gentle cerulean, while Naruto was a raging red. The blonde prince had demanded everything she had. Her body, her soul, her mind, her existence. While Sasuke...

Sasuke simply pleaded for whatever she would give.

How ironic.

How _terribly, terribly_ ironic.

"_Out in the garden where we planted the trees..._"

Their once jerky movements returned to their slow and fragile ones. Simple and precise. Perfectly executed without a flaw insight.

The pinkette wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck, and twisted herself around to face him. As he extends his limbs, and traces her own, she follows just mere seconds behind.

"_By the cracks of its skin I climbed to the top..._"

Sasuke settled into a tree-like pose, arms extended, but not entirely straight. With her arms wrapped tight around his neck, she pulled herself up, and wrapped her legs around his torso. She then twisted her body under his extended arms, and grabbed onto his shoulders. She pushed down, this time, and then she was sitting on his shoulders.

"_And when the gusts came 'round to blow you me..._"

She faked as if there was wind blowing at her. Slowly, she flailed her arms through the air, and dipped her entire upper body back.

"_I held on as tightly as you held on to me..._"

But no matter how strong the wind was, she was still perched on Sasuke's shoulders. His arms remained wrapped tight around her thighs. He couldn't let her fall. He refused to let her fall. Not when she was so close. So, so close... And he could tell, just as she could:

Lady Sakura was_ actually_ starting to trust the stoic fucker now.

But Prince Naruto was having _none_ of that. Sasuke was simply asking for it, flaunting his soon-to-be-queen around like she was a rag doll.

When the instrumental begins yet again, Naruto strides up to them, and as Sakura flips off Sasuke's shoulders, she falls into Naruto's arm. He twirls her, and then catches her. That familiar fire is back - with vengeance.

"_And I... Built... A home... For you... For me..._"

He launches her up into the sky, and their pattern of daring tricks commencing. She flipped over his head, and collided against his back, legs wrapped tight around his torso. She's tenser, and there's more tension in the air. She lets herself down before dancing down the dance floor in an array of flips and twirls, Naruto right there with her. They ran gracefully, arms extended, and dimpled smiles perched on their lips. She doesn't take heed to anyone else. Their ex-partners long lost in the forgotten land of Abandon. It was just Heiress Haruno, and Prince Uzumaki - no.

It was just Sakura and Naruto, dancing with their hearts on the pads of their feet.

"_And now... It's time to leave... And turn... To dust..._"

Lord Sasuke took her home an hour after the song ended. The carriage had been filled with tension, and silence. Which was terrible. Because it gave Sakura time to think. And when Sakura began to think, she started to question everything and anything.

Unfortunately, that included her feelings for the pouty prince whom sat across from her. It had been eating away at the back of her conscience, better to think about it now, then later.

What the hell was that dancing?

She had felt like she was in some kind of, romance novel.

He had been majestic with her, all gentle caresses, and swift catches. He allowed her to flow. He allowed her to bend, break, to shatter, to fall apart, to come undone, and then slowly piece herself back together again. He was water. And she was the bender. However, his dancing hadn't taken away from his asshole personality.

And then there was _Naruto_.

He had been relentless with her, forcing everything she had. However, she had been just as. He bended her, he broke her, he made her shatter, he made her fall apart, he forced her to come undone, he re-pieced her. And she had done just the same to him. There was no room left for argument. They were both masters of fire who had come together to destroy themselves. There was passion. There was sensuality. There was feeling.

They had talked each other up for 45 of the 60 minutes Prince Sasuke allowed her to have to herself. She leaned back in the carriage as she replayed the scenes that happened not 15 minutes ago.

* * *

_"Lady Sakura!" Naruto called for her. At the sound of her name, the pinkette turned, surprised - but exceptionally happy - to see the blonde prince walking her way. "Lady Sakura." He felt he was close enough. He bowed, and she curtsied, the temperature between them colder than ice. "Prince Naruto." Grinning a nonchalant, and goofy grin, he begins, "You look quite beautiful tonight, Lady Sak-" She cut him off. She had enough bullshit from Sasuke. She really didn't need it from Naruto - not Blue Boy of all people._

_"It's rude to intrude on people's dances, Prince Naruto. Quite a bold and wary move on your part. Not to mention, the possible ruining of my reputation. You of all people should know how important reputations are." She flashed a pretty smile as she said it, making sure that their conversation looked pleasant and light hearted from afar. His deep ocean blue eyes flashed a dangerous black, but the prince caught himself and followed her lead. The blonde covers his displeasure with a shining smile and glittering ocean blue crystals._

_"Now if you'd please explain to me why you decided to put my family's name at risk, then I would gladly skip ahead to the pleasantries." She folded her arms behind her back, and tilted her head, eyes lit with amusement._

_The man explained himself, ashamed and embarrassed. Because he was a_ prince_ for God's sake - his coronation to become _king_ not a year away - and here he was bowing to the will of a _woman_ of all people. But this was no ordinary woman. This was a woman as stubborn as a bull, but built like a fox. She had the witty and intelligent mind of Elizabeth Bennet, sewn together with the determination of Anne Boleyn. She was beyond what her status claimed her to be. Albeit being born as an heiress, she was meant to become _queen_._

His_ queen, preferably._

* * *

"We're here."

The deep rumble of Sasuke's voice brought her out of her train of seemingly never-ending thoughts. But his voice was an octave lower than normal. And it held a taste to it. She felt it on her own tongue. It was... It was bitter. To the very last pronunciation. He was angry at Prince Naruto for intervening with their dance. And he was angry at her for allowing it to happen. Good. Let the bastard rot with anger. This was her revenge.

She looks over at him, and runs her eyes along his features. Prince Sasuke wasn't ugly. He had raven black hair that reached the tip of his neck, and hung over into his eyes. He had two slightly slanted wormholes of black for eyes. They sometimes glinted with the tiny thousands of stars that got sucked in. One for every heart he broke. He had ivory skin, warm to the touch. Originally, she thought he'd be vampiric, but after dancing with him, she learned that he was almost like a 6 foot furnace. And his lips were pink and plump. They looked soft, but she'd never get to know if they were. She didn't want to either. The damned prince could never be considered downright ugly, his personality was simply unappealing. He was arrogant, and spiteful.

And she couldn't stand it.

He opened the carriage from the inside, and stepped out. After dusting himself down, he extended his hand to her to help her down the few steps there was to get to the ground.

She curtsied, "I appreciated the invitation, Lord Sasuke. Thank you for bringing me to your wonderful and quite well hosted gathering." He grunted in turn. Smiling at the familiarity, she traveled down the path way of gravel to her porch steps. It's only when she turned around to bid him a final farewell, did she realize that he was escorting her to her door as well.

"Goodnight, Lady Sakura."

The way he said it had her reeling. And damn, she wasn't sure why.

She wasn't sure of anything anymore.

* * *

_Oh my gods, I am so fucking sorry! I got lazy, and I had gotten stuck on _Mutation_, and my gods - I'm really sorry. Please forgive me? Thank you to everyone who had faith in us - me and my aibou, xxKidxx - I know this chapter isn't much (I wrote this one) but it's something, right? Next chapter will be better, and will come a shit load quicker. I promise. Some of you could have possibly noticed that I took the pairings down, and I'll tell you why if you wanna know: Suspense. I need to keep you guessing otherwise _All the Right Moves _looses a bit of its interest, right? The song used in this chapter is _To Build A Home_ by _Cinematic Orchestra.


	7. Quite the Lovely Morning

She heard the knock at her door several times, but was resolute to ignore it. She most certainly did not wish to wake - she absolutely refused to.

Sakura was positive that she would not be leaving her bed for the day. She was exhausted from the night before. After being dropped off by the jackass prince himself, the pink haired woman was left to relive the night's events through her vivid memories and processed every single aspect of it all as if she were still there.

The way the usually cocky prince became unnerved as soon as the blue eyed boy stepped into the picture. How Prince Naruto managed to whisk her so effortlessly - so smoothly - she did not even feel the slightest bit of guilt when she allowed herself to be pulled away. She even thought about Sasuke's apparent irritation in the carriage ride home, and even though at the time she was surely glad to see she upset him in some way, now... Now she wasn't so sure.

It was almost unnoticeable but she felt it. The tiniest fraction of guilt rested in the back of her mind. She tried her best to ignore and forget, but it ate away at her. Slowly but surely. And she hated herself for feeling the way she did.

What young woman at conflict with her inner emotions didn't?

Prince Sasuke was not someone who deserved sympathy. No - he deserved quite the opposite.

He deserved to rot at the sidelines, his emotions disregarded and uncared for entirely. He did not waste his time concerning for others, so why should she spend her time pining for him? He did not deserve empathy from her, and she berated herself harshly for even thinking about feeling bad for the asshole.

The loud knock at her door sounded once again, followed by a soft, timid voice. "Lady Sakura? Lady Mebuki wishes for your presence... Immediately."

The pink-haired woman squeezed her eyes shut tighter in agitation at the mention of her mother's name. An immediate reaction that she just so happened to pick up at an early age.

"Lady Sakura-"

"I heard you," Sakura snapped viciously, eyes still shut. "Tell her I'll be there in ten minutes."

"But Lady Sakura," the voice said softly behind the door, "she said it was dire that you come at this very moment."

"And you tell her I said I'll be there in ten minutes." She growled in response.

"Y-Yes, Lady Sakura..." The person said apprehensively, and then hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor outside of her room.

Sakura covered her face with her hands as a frustrated grunt escaped her lips.

Why must her mother call for her so early in the morning? The day had not even begun, and she was already trying to pick a fight with her daughter. Sakura knew her mother caught wind of how she hated to be bothered at at any time before twelve - and yet, almost every other day, her mother insisted on waking her at an ungodly hour.

The one who truly drew the short stick of it all was the messenger for the day. The one who reluctantly went to wake up the pink-haired beauty. They were the one to receive both of the short-fused tempers from the ladies of the house because of what the other said.

Now that was someone Sakura could feel bad for.

"Honey? May I come in?" A deep, familiar voice called from the other side of her door, "It's your father."

The pinkette began to lift herself into a sitting position as an exasperated sigh slipped out of her pouty, pink lips. "You may."

An ecstatic pale face with a mesh of pink - much similar to Sakura's hair color - appeared from the slight crack in the door way of her room. "Are you up, Sakura?" He asked, his voice hinting at his amusement.

"I don't know why you think what she does is funny." Sakura huffed as she sent a glare at her father. "It's beginning to get out of hand now."

"Oh, honey," the elder Haruno laughed wholeheartedly as he made his way into the room. "She only calls for important reasons."

A raised, well groomed, pink eyebrow, "Last time she called, she wanted me to help pick out flowers for the garden." Sakura replied flatly, the most monotone voice she could muster projecting into the air, irritation intruding in on her monotone. "Not even plant them - no, she's too good for that - it was just to pick the flowers. You think that's important?"

"To her, yes it was," her father answered with another deep chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. "You mustn't be so rough with your mother, my dear. She's trying her best with you."

"But of course she is." The younger pinkette answered quickly, sarcasm far more than evident in her tone.

Sakura tried her best to avoid conversations about her mother with her father. She knew it would only lead to disputes between the two of them. For Sakura's opinion on the woman and her father's were at eternal, and furious, conflict - two completely opposite sides in the universe. Even though they typically agreed on most things, anything about - or involving - her mother's input usually resulted in them butting heads.

The elder lord shook his head slightly at his daughter's response, showing his disapproval towards her opinion, as he took a seat at the foot of her bed. "Today, however, is quite important if you ask me."

"And why is it?"

"There is a young prince downstairs waiting for you," he said, immediately causing his daughter's brows to furrow in confusion. "And your mother was not particularly thrilled with the unannounced visit."

"Good," Sakura answered with a slight smirk, "I'm glad to see that Prince Sasuke's etching his way onto Mebuki's bad side."

To hear that her mother was actually beginning to dislike something about the prince made Sakura's morning ten times better. It was almost something even worth waking up so early for. Almost - not quite worth while just yet.

Now, if her mother made a grand announcement that she refused to let her daughter see Prince Sasuke anymore - that would be something she'd gladly wake up for. She would not even hesitate to ask to be wakened at such an unusually, early hour for her.

"It is not Prince Sasuke that is downstairs, honey..." Her father said softly, trying to clear up the confusion of his initial message to her.

Sakura stared at her father with confusion scribbled all over her face. "Then... Who is it, father?"

"Prince Naruto from the Uzumaki Kingdom has come to see you."

* * *

"Now, you are an only child correct?"

Sakura heard her mother ask the question louder than necessary as she began to near the parlour in their home, where her father had said her mother was sitting with the Blue Boy - Naruto, she berated herself nervously, Prince Naruto was his name - himself.

As soon as his named left her father's lips, the witty pinkette was at a lost of words. Her cheeks heated up quickly, burning fiercely at the thought of the handsome blond being downstairs in her manor, awaiting her presence. How he had even managed to locate her was beyond her - maybe Sasuke told him? - but she paid it no mind. All Sakura could think of was that she needed to get to him before her mother could possibly bring any collateral damage to what he thought of the pinkette.

She grabbed her robe, shrugging it on over her silk nightdress, and slid into her slippers - all before racing out of her room and down the corridor at a speed that amazed her father to some extent. She slowly came to a stop right at the door way of the room, before restoring her breathing to a normal pace.

Her heart, despite her efforts, was racing even faster than before, and her thoughts became even more scrambled than the night before. She had no idea about what had managed to bring the Blue Boy to come to her home, having to do a decent amount of research in order to find her in the first place.

In a more optimistic view, the prince that managed to enrapture her must have been somewhat captivated by the bold pinkette if he had decided to come see her so early in the morning.

But Sakura was quite the pessimistic. She felt uneasy of it all. Her mother. Blue Boy. Them together. She felt as if she were about to walk into a war unarmed.

Being in her home should have given Sakura the upper hand, but instead she felt as if she was falling right into play, as if the Blue Boy already had a plan being set into motion. Her usually confident self was no where to be found and she looked more like scared little girl than the confident, killer she was the night before.

"You ran all the way here just to hide outside the room?"

Sakura jumped slightly at her father's voice which had pulled her quickly away from her train of thoughts. "Oh, I was just-"

"Scared to go in there?" Her father answered calmly. He glanced into the parlour where Mebuki, his wife, sat speaking to the prince in a cold tone. "It looks like she's not to happy."

Kizashi looked back at his daughter who was now staring into the room with a blank look on her face. Despite her tough personality, her father could easily see through her. Especially when his daughter wasn't as tough as she made herself seem.

"You don't have to go in there-"

"Father, I'm fine," Sakura cut him off with a soft laugh, "I was just catching my breath." She said nonchalantly, telling more of a half-lie than a full one.

"Are you sure, honey?"

Sakura flashed her father a confident smile, so believable that she almost felt confident enough to barge into the room. The thought was only for a split second however. "I'm postive."

Her smile quickly diminished as she turned towards the room, taking a step into the parlour. She felt the tension in the room, as the two continued their conversation with fake smiles from both parties. It felt suffocating to be honest. The tension unlike anything she had experienced before, it was as if the two shared some twisted past with one another. And it seemed like it was not going to improve any time soon.

The young Haruno put up her "polite" face, with a smile as fake as the others in the room, and cleared her throat.

"Hello, Mother," She said politely with a slight bow, which was very unlike her to do towards her mother. She then turned towards the prince sitting in the couch across from her blond-haired mother. "Well, Prince Naruto," she said with a slight smirk as she bowed once more, "I see you just couldn't stay away."

Both of them stared at the pinkette with a initially shocked expression, before quickly recovering into a polite smile and a slight grin.

For she had to look at this all like a game, and if they all wanted to play - she would play. She would not fall into their plans - no, she had to play it smart. No matter what happened, she was the only one in control of her destiny, and she refused herself to be used a prize for anyone. And even though Sakura felt she did not have the upper hand, she most certainly would not play like it.

She would be the queen.

And if she's fierce enough, the queen always gets what she wants.


End file.
